Nouvelles

Restoring your old Windows could be better than replacing them

It might no longer be necessary to replace your old windows for increased energy efficiency, but rather refurbish them.

Sydney MacDonald, a recent Holland College (HC) graduate has created the steam box to reduce the time it normally takes to take off the old paint, putty and calking in approximately half the time. The Window is placed into the steam box for 18 minutes and all the layers of material on the window gets softened, making it easy to take them off.

"We're hoping we can educate a lot of people that aren't really aware that they could be saving their wooden windows instead of just going with the vinyl windows," she said.

During the research project, MacDonald refurbished all of the windows of a Charlottetown house and a green energy company measured the difference the changes made in the home's energy efficiency. The results showed quite a reduction in air leakage, which would result in a significant decrease in energy consumption.

Prince Edward Island has a lot of heritage and older homes that owners trying to make more energy efficient. The steam box could prove to be a game changer and just what is needed and the P.E.I. government is part of a pilot project using the new steam box, through the Home Energy Low-income Program (HELP).

Holland College’s Applied Research department, a member of Springboard Atlantic played a role in connecting HC's Heritage Retrofit program to Efficiency PEI, and securing the funding through CICan’s Clean Tech Internship fund to cover the costs of the student. The office also secured internal grant funding to cover material costs.